Road display device



Sept. 17, 1957 C. O. CURELL ROAD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Oct. '17, 1955INVENTOR CONRAD O. CURELL United States Patent ROAD DISPLAY DEVICEConrad 0. Curell, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to Kaiser Aluminum &Chemical Corporation, Oakland, Calif., a corporation of DelawareApplication October 17, 1955, Serial No. 541,000 9 Claims. (Cl. 40-125)This invention relates to display devices. More specifically, thisinvention relates to highway signs, such as highway warning anddirectional signs, wherein the sign includes one or more flat surfacesadapted to receive various types and combinations of indicia formingcompositions, elements, paints, fluorescent materials, and the like.

With the advent of modern super highways and the attendant increase inspeed of the vehicles which traverse the same, the problem of providingsuch highways with adequate warning and/or directional signs as well asdisplay devices of the advertising variety has become exceedinglyimportant. It will be appreciated that the speed of the vehicles is suchthat those riding in the vehicles get only a more or less fleetingglance at the highway signs. Consequently, a large surface area must bepresented to the view of the person relying on such signs forinformation or advice as to road conditions and road direction as wellas advertising information.

Of equal importance is the fact that such display devices or signs be soconstructed as to effect a pleasing appearance and exceptionalresistance to deterioration caused, for example, by the corrosive actionof exhaust fumes and exposure to the elements.

Further, the signs as heretofore known have been extremely expensive toerect as well as maintain and have involved the use of materials such assteel, iron, wood and the like, all of which are particularlysusceptible to the corrosive or deleterious action of the weather as Allof the above, as well as other deficiencies in present day highway signsare obviated by use of the novelhighway sign of the instant invention.'Accordingly, it is a primary, object of the instant invention toprovide a novel display device wherein the elements making up thestructural components thereof can be readily fabricated for readyassembly and installation. In addition, these structural components aresuch that they are not subject to the ordinary deleterious effects towhich such devices are generally exposed.

Another object of the instant invention is to produce a novel displaydevice. wherein an indicia bearing surface thereof may bechanged,.modified or rearranged with a minimum amount of time andeffort, and wherein the required action may be accomplished by oneperson without the use or necessity of special tools, paints and thelike.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel knockdowndisplay device made up of novel interfitting and readily assembledparts, which partscan be readily stored and transported in a minimumamount of space.

An additional object of the invention is to produce a display devicewherein a single planar continuous face for indicia receiving purposesis presented to the public view and wherein the display face may be madeup of a group or groups of light, readily handled sections which may beadded or removed to the display structure with facility and ease.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a novel displaydevice wherein the material forming the receptive surface for theindicia forming elements is such as to be readily adaptable as a basefor a variety of materials ranging from attached papers and metallicfoils to luminescent and/ or fluorescent paints, tapes, regular paintsand the like.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a novel highwaysign which is fabricated of readily available elements and which is ofsufficient strength and durability to provide resistance to wind damageand the necessary lasting qualities not heretofor furnished by the priorart devices.

These and other objects of the invention will become more readilyapparent from an inspection of the appended drawings when considered inthe light of the following detailed description wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a display device, such as ahighway sign, constructed according to the instant invention, withcertain parts thereof being shown in dotted lines for the sake ofclarity;

Fig. 2 is a partial and enlarged side elevational section of the displaydevice shown in Pig. 1 when taken along the line lI-II thereof;

Fig. 3 is a partial and enlarged top view taken along,

the line III-llIof Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial and enlarged sectional view taken through the jointbetween certain adjacent extruded sections making up the display deviceand discloses the fastening means used in one embodiment of the instantinven-.

tion for securing the sections together; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in showing an alternative form offastening means for use in clamping adjacent sections of the displaydevice together.

Consideringin particular Figs. 1 and 2, it may be seen that the instantdisplay device may be generally com Though not specifically shown in thedrawings, it isapparent that a series of crossed bracing elements or anysuch bracing, arrangement such as is conventional in the structuraldesign arts may be used to rigidify the vertical members 1 should suchrigidification be necessary, It

will be recognized, however, that depending on the type orcross-sectiona1 configuration that may be applied to the support, themembers may be sufiiciently rigid without additional bracing as has beendescrbied.

The overall display surface is formed from a series of metallic extrudedsections 10, preferably, formed from aluminum, of asuitable thicknessand alloy. Thesesections are stacked or superposed one upon the other sothat they are in substantial vertical alignment with each 1 other Whenthese sections are thus arranged they present a common planarindiciabearing surface designated, in the drawingsas 20. Specific referenceismade to Fig; 2 wherein it may bseen that each of the sections 10 is 1The cross generally channel-shaped in cross-section.

Patented Sept. 17, 1957.

sectional shape would thus include a web member 2 having spaced marginalflanges 3, 3 which are disposed at an angle normal to the web portion.Flanges '3 include, at their rearmost terminal edges, inwardly turnedmarginal feet designated as 9; Reference is made in particular to Fig-4, wherein it may be seen that the plane of disposition of the inwardlyturned marginal feet 9 is spaced from, but parallel to the plane inwhich the face of the web portion 2" of the extruded section isdisposed.

Disposed intermediate of and in symmetrical relation with respect to themarginal flanges 3, 3 is a slotted fas tening member 4 generallyC-shaped in cross-section and anchored by means of the horizontallydisposed and longitudinally' extending stem element 3 as indicatedclearly in Fig. 2, to the web member 2' and preferably formed integrallytherewith.

Each G-shaped fastening member 4 is defined by a pair of spaced walls 5interconnected in a vertical plane as viewed in Fig. 2 by a furtherexpanse of material identified clearly by the reference numeral 4'. Thewalls 5 terminate in inwardly turned lip elements 5 which face eachother. Lip elements 5' are spaced from each other in a directionparalleling the expanse of metal 4' to define an elongated slot 30.Thus, it may be seen that when a suitable fastener element, such as abolt member 6, is inserted within the slot 30, the head thereof willbear against the inwardly turned lip portions 5' of the side walls 5. Atthe same time, the entire fastener element may he slid longitudinally ofthe greatest extent of the extruded section in such a manner as to bepositioned in any desired position with respect to the slot 30. Thefastening element may be tightened with case due to the fact that thedimensional selection of the space between the respective wall members5, 5 is such that the head of the fastener may be inserted therein withat least two of the usual square or hexagon-like surfaces abutting thewalls 5, 5. Thus, it may be seen that the fastener element 6' willproject rearwardly of the extruded section 10 to an extent suflicient topermit the insertion of the bolt in a clamping member 11.

Asmay be seen from an inspection of Fig. 3, the actual clamping member11 may comprise a generally L-shaped extrusion being suitably aperturedto be passed over the fastener means 6. The extruded clamping elements11 are fixed with respect to the vertical standards in such a mannerthat each has one leg of the L in bearing engagement with the rearsurface of the flange 2. The other leg of clamping member 11 is inbearing engagement with the inwardly turned lip portions 5' of thebox-shaped section 4 carried by the members 10. Suitable washer and nutmeans 40 may be then applied to the bolts 6 in the usual manner and beeffective to cause the head of each of the bolt elements 6 to be drawnagainst the inwardly turned lip portions 5 and in turn against the flatsurface 1' of the support 1, thereby clamping the sections 10 andstandards 1 in fixed relation with respect to each other. Location ofthe fastening means for securing the sections 10 to the supports 1behind the exposed surfaces of the sections makes available the greatestamount of display area possible in signs of this type.

By use of the fastening means 6 and 11, provision is made foradjustability of the extruded sections 10 with respect to the supports 1in either a vertical or horizontal position, or both, or at anglesgreater or less than 90. Thus, the sections 10 may be adjustedindividually in such a manner that in all instances the sections 10 canbe disposed in a horizontal plane regardless of any position that mightof necessity be imposed on the support members 1. The size of theoverall sign can also be readily increased or decreased merely by addingor subtracting one or more sections 10.

It is also to be noted-that the edges of the indicia bearing surface maybe provided with a suitable snap-on endmoldingj which is preferably ofsheet material having acertain amount of inherent resilience. Asindicated particularly in Fig. 3, when the sections 10 have beenproperly positioned with respect to the supports 1 and to each other,the marginal side edges of the sections 10 will in most instances be invertical alignment. The molding strip 7 may then be snapped over thesemarginal edges of the extruded sections 10. Because of the particularchannel-shaped configuration of the molding strip 7, the separateflanges 32 and 33 thereof will be distorted to a certain extent fromtheir normal planes to allow the edges of the extruded sections formingthe indicia bearing face 20 to be confined within and frictionallyengaged by the molding strip 7. The arrangement is effected to produce apleasing appearance of the marginal edges of the display device.

In such cases wherein the angle of the posts 1 would not be trulyvertical and wherein of necessity the edges of the extruded sections 10would be stepped to a certain extent, such edges may be trimmed toproduce a true vertical edge and the finishing or molding strippositioned thereon as has been previously described.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, additional fasteningmeans may be provided to reinforce and properly position the variousextruded sections 10 with respect to each other on supports 1.

As seen in Fig. 4 the flange portions 3 of the channelshaped sections 10may be provided with apertures 34 so as to receive bolt means 8 whichwould secure the juxtaposed flanges 3 of any two adjacent sections 10 inrigid relation with respect to each other. These apertures may beprovided in each extruded shape 10 prior to the time of' itsinstallation or they may be drilled therein by the usual practices, uponassemblage of the sign sections on supports 1.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a quick fasteningmeans may be employed in lieu of the bolt means 8 for drawing theopposed flanges 3 of adjacent sections together. This quick connectingdevice may take the form of a shallow C-shaped extruded section 12wherein the space between the oppositely facing free ends 12' oftheC-shaped element 12 are so designed as to be narrower than the totalwidth of two of the marginal flange or leg portions 9 of the extrudedsections 10. Thus, as may be seen in Fig. 5, a single longitudinalmember may be applied to any two adjacent sections by simply sliding theelement 12 onto the flanges 9 to effect thereby either a continuouslongitudinally extending joint forming means, or a series of shorterindividual clips connecting the adjacent flanges 9 of any two extrudedsections. In those instances where the C-shaped member 12 isbrought intoengagement with the flange 2 of a support member, any tightening of thebolt means 6 will in turn draw the C-shaped member 12 tighter againstthe support as well as against the leg portions 9 of the sections 10.

With respect to the indicia bearing members 10 it is to be noted that,while not essential, it is preferable that certain portions thereof beenlarged in cross-sectional area on that face of the web portion facingin a direction opposite to that of the indicia bearing surface. Thereinforcement may take the form of parallel ribs 14 extendinglongitudinally of the greatest longitudinal extent of the extrudedsections 10. Such ribs 14 provide additional reinforcing, aiding toprevent fracture of the extruded sections due to wind or other loadswhich normally would tend to twist or flex the sections. Suchreinforcement is critical where the indicia bearing surfaces areprovided with material, such as Scotchlite, a reflective materialmanufactured by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corporation. Thismaterial is reflective in nature and it also requires a rigid base uponwhich it may be applied. Any flexure ofthe base member or materialcauses separation of the reflective Scotchlite from the base structure,thus contributing to rapid deterioration of the indicia formingmaterial, a highly undesirable effect. Al-

tho gh Scotchlite has been.mentioned as asuitableindicia material 25 forcovering the exposed surfaces of sections 10, other materials may alsobe employed such as plain or suitably embossed, or creped aluminum foiladhesively secured to the sections 10, or luminescent paints, etc. 7

Considering the finished device, it may be seen that rearrangement ofthe various extruded sections may be quickly and easily efiected. Allthat is required is the loosening of fastening means 6, removal offastening means means 8 and the individual section may he slippedlaterally out of engagement with the supports 1 and any adjacentsections.

As has been stated, the extruded sections 10 are comprised of suitablealuminum or aluminum alloys and it is preferable that all of thecomponents be comprised of such material to enhance not only theappearance of the finished display device, but also the resistance ofthe entire assembly to corrosion by any of the factors and conditionspreviously mentioned. The ease of assembly and disassembly of thevarious components of the highway sign of the instant invention providesfor ready installation or removal of the sign at any time.

Having thus described the specific embodiments of the invention, it willbe apparent that various changes and modifications may be effectedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of whichis expressed in the following claims, wherein what is claimed is:

1. A highway sign or the like comprising support members, a plurality ofvertically arranged, extruded metallic sections adjustably fixed to saidsupport members, each of said sections being generally channel-shaped incrosssection so as to include a web and spaced parallel marginalflanges, said section further including'a fastener receiving elementdisposed intermediate the respective flanges of said section, and saidfastener receiving element being substantially coextensive with saidmarginal flanges, and fastening means engaging said fastener receivingelement and a support member.

2. A highway sign as defined in claim 1 including further meansfastening the marginal edges of adjacent sections together independentlyof said first mentioned fastening means.

3. In a highway sign and the like including support means, an indiciacarrying element and means fastening said element to said support means,the improvement comprising a series of metallic sections forming saidindicia carrying element, each of said sections being generallychannel-shaped in cross-section so as to be provided with a web andspaced marginal flanges, one side of said web being unobstructed topresent a flat surface, the opposite side of said web being providedwith an outwardly directed member terminating in a generally box-shapedfastener receiving element, and fastening means engaging said fastenerreceiving means and the support means.

4. In a display device including support means, an inv ginal flanges.

6. In a knock-down highway sign or the like, the combination of aplurality of horizontally spaced, vertically extending supports, saidsupports including flat surfaces disposed in a common vertical plane, atleast one elongated indicia carrying member fixed crosswise to saidsupports and extending horizontally a distance at least equal to thehorizontal spacing between said spaced vertical supports, said indiciacarrying member comprising an extruded metallic section generallychannel-shaped in cross-section, said section including a verticallydisposed web portion provided with a fiat indicia bearing surface on oneside thereof and an outwardly projecting marginal flange at each end ofthe web, an outwardly directed fastener receiving element positionedintermediate said marginal flanges and coextensive therewith, saidfastener receiving element also being formed integrally with said web,and fastening means engageable with a support and said fastenerreceiving element.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 wherein said fastener receivingelement is provided with inturned lip elements in bearing engagementwith a support.

8. A highway sign as defined in claim 6, wherein the elongated indiciacarrying member is fixed in horizontal and vertical adjustable relationwith respect to said vertically extending supports.

9. A device as defined in claim 6, including vertically disposed,channel-shaped, resilient moldings snapped about the vertical marginaledges of the sign as defined by the aligned side marginal edges ofadjacent sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS957,259 Ruby May 10, 1910 1,167,221 Rice Jan. 4, 1916 1,407,548 KnouffFeb. 21, 1922 1,681,830 White Aug. 21, 1928 1,853,141 Overholtz Apr. 12,1932 2,116,530 McCabe May 10, 1938 2,557,387 Michael et al June 19, 1951

